Peer: Sharia Courts Subvert British Law
ICC Note
A recent undercover investigation exposed the growing influence of Sharia law in UK. Sharia laws are inconsistent with human rights principles of equality and non-discrimination. UK must stop Sharia laws from operating in the country.
09/14/2012 UK (The Christian Institute)-Sharia law is undermining the “concept of judicial equality” at the expense of the vulnerable, a prominent peer has warned.
Baroness Cox says Britain no longer operates “under a single legal code” and that Sharia is “effectively a parallel quasi-legal system operating within some Muslim communities”.
The warning comes after an undercover investigation revealed that two imams were prepared to marry a twelve-year-old to grown men “under the aegis of Sharia law”.
Diminished
Lady Cox, in an article for the Daily Mail, cautions: “No society can function effectively with a parallel quasi-legal system, with some people having, in practice, drastically diminished legal rights because of their religion and their gender.”
She adds: “In so many ways, Sharia law treats women as second-class citizens, whether it be in inheritance rights or divorce.
“According to Sharia law, for instance, a woman’s word counts for only half the value of that of a man.”
Tackle
The independent peer is behind a parliamentary Bill, which will have its second reading next month, seeking to tackle the problem of Sharia courts in England and Wales.
The 1996 Arbitration Act means that the rulings of religious arbitration tribunals can be enforced in commercial and civil cases.
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Offence
“It would make it a criminal offence for any individual or group to pose as a proper legal court, with the full sanction of prison sentences for those who contravene this law.
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